The country’s wheat production is likely to exceed the target of 82 million tonnes in the 2010-11 rabi season that started from mid-October, Agriculture secretary PK Basu said today. “We will easily beat the production target of 82 million tonnes this year, as good rains have boosted soil moisture which improves yield. Timely sowing, good supply of seeds and fertilisers would help increase the productivity of the crop,” P K Basu...

With mills in Uttar Pradesh yet to begin crushing, farmer leaders have decided to hold their agitation and wait till mills open and declare the price at which they will buy cane. Millers, on the other hand, are of the firm view that they cannot operate feasibly at the state government mandated SAP of 205/quintal and there is no way they can afford to pay an incentive over it, as...

In 25 years, the Narmada Bachao Andolan has introduced an alternative development discourse in India. ON the full moon night in October, hundreds of people from all over India gathered at Bhilgaon, one of the many tribal villages in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, in the foothills of the Satpura mountain range and on the banks of the river Narmada. The place resounded with jingles, revolutionary folk songs and strains of...

The cotton growers of Vidarbha, who are suffering immensely due to the prevailing agrarian crisis, staged candlelight protests ahead of US President Barack Obama's India visit on Friday. The protests, held under the banner of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti — a pressure group which has been documenting distressed farmers' suicides — sought to draw his attention to the plight of the region's agriculture sector caused by 'American policies'. The main event...

The prospects of a bumper foodgrain yield during the monsoon have considerably dimmed as the threat of cyclone looms large and heavy rains continue to batter several coastal districts. Standing crop spread over an estimated 2.83 lakh hectares (a little over 7 lakh acres), according to preliminary estimates, is under water in six coastal districts. The extent could be much higher after the assessment of the damage is complete. A cyclonic...